Reading for September 3rd

 Read Exodus 23.20-33. In 23.20-33: God promises and instructions regarding Israel's future entry into Canaan. In verse 20: The Lord promises to send an angel as a divine representative to protect and fight for the Israelites (see v. 23 and 14.19) Discussion about the angel will reappear in Josh 5.13-15 and Judg 2.1-5. In verse 31: The sea of the Philistines is the Mediterranean Sea to the west of Canaan. The wilderness is probably the Negev region south of Canaan. The boundaries correspond roughly to the size of Israel under King Solomon (1 Kings 4.21). Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 2nd

 Read Exodus 22.31-23.19. In verse 15: On the festival of unleavened bread see. 13.3-10. In verse 19: The probations against boiling a young goat or kid in its mother's milk involves  the ritual impurity of crossing the boundary between life  and death. The mother's milk gives life, but using it to boil meat mixes it with death. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 1st

 Read Exodus 22.21-30. In verses 21-24: Israel's experience of being aliens in the land of Egypt motivated these laws against oppressing a resident alien or other marginal people in the community (see 23.9). Israel also knew firsthand the power of the oppressed who cry out to arose God's saving action (see 2.23-25). In verse 30: The seven days of waiting is the time required for the mother and the baby to become ritually clean after the birth (Lev 12.2-3). Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 31st

 Read Exodus 21.1-20. No Comments.....

Reading for August 30th

 Read Exodus 21.15-36. The principle for life seeks to limit the extent of any revenge. The principle who means that simply paying money to a victim or victim's family cannot compensate for the loss of a of a priceless life or limb. In verse 28: The ox, shall be stoned and not eaten because it has become ritually impure by causing the death of a human. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 29th

Additional laws in the Book of the Covenant. 20.22-23.19: Most scholars consider this group of laws to be the oldest of all legal collections of the Bible. These Biblical laws have several parallels in subject matter and form to ancient Babylonian law codes. The laws alternate between religious concerns and criminal, social, and economic matters.

 Read Exodus 20.22-21.14. In 20.26: the concern for stairs and the exposure of nakedness implies that those doing the sacrificing at the altar wore robes that were open at the bottom. In 21.6: The blood on the door post from the pierced ear was a sign of the permanent attachment of the slave to the household . Inverse 8: The case deals with a husband's taking a slave as a wife or  concubine through whom he might have children (Gen 21.10-13). In verse 13-14: Accidental killers could flee to designated "cities of refuge" where they could live protected from family members of the victim who seek revenge (Num 35.9-28). Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 28th

The Ten Commandments In 20.1-21: These ten rules form the core of Israel's obligation in its relationship with God. Moses repeats these ten commandments in a slightly altered form to a new generation in Deut 5.6-21. God is the one who writes the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets (31.18). The commandments are a central element of the faith of Judaism and Christianity. 

 Read Exodus 20.1-21. In verse 4; The description assumes a three-level universe: heaven above, earth beneath, and water under the earth. See Gen 1.6-10. In verse 7: The probation against the wrongful use of the name of the Lord is aimed particularly at violating oaths made in the deity's name (Lev 19.12). In verse 8: the root meaning of the sabbath is "to stop to rest." To keep it holy signifies setting the seventh day apart as different from all other days of the week. In verse 11: In the creation story in Gen 1, God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh (Gen 2.1-3). In verse 12: The commandment concerning parents may have originally been aimed especially at the care of elderly parents. In verse 13: Murder refers to any killing not sanctioned by  the community, including personal acts of revenge. In verse 16: The prohibition of false witness involves false testimony in judicial cases and disputes. In verse 17: To covet refers to the inner yearning and strong desire to take something that rightfully belongs to others, especially the poor and less powerful. Comments or Questions..